Phone contracts, data protection, photos posted online, copyright at university and labelling of AI content affect almost every student. This overview gathers all our guides on your digital rights in everyday life and shows where to look more closely.
Short answer: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, in German DSGVO) gives you the right to ask online services for information about the data they hold on you (Art. 15 GDPR) and, under certain conditions, to demand its erasure (Art. 17 GDPR). Providers generally have to respond within one month, which can be extended by two months in complex cases (Art. 12 para. 3 GDPR). If something goes wrong, you can contact the data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). Last updated: November 2026.
The most important points in brief
- Data rights: You can ask for information and erasure. If rules are broken, a complaint to the supervisory authority can help, and compensation may be possible.
- Contracts: Notice periods, price increases and special termination rights for phone and streaming contracts deserve a close look before deadlines pass.
- Photos and music: Pictures of other people and music in videos need a legal basis, even if they are easy to find online.
- Copyright at university: Lecture slides, scripts and illustrations from textbooks have limits that depend on purpose and scope.
- AI: Bans on certain practices have applied since 2 February 2025. Labelling obligations follow a separate timetable.
- Procedure: What is still in the legislative process does not yet apply. Check the status in the relevant guides.
Contracts, cancellation and consumer rights
Digital services often run on subscriptions. Knowing the deadlines helps you avoid paying longer than necessary.
| Topic | Guide |
|---|---|
| Price increase in a phone contract | Preiserhöhung im Handyvertrag: Wann du ohne Frist kündigen darfst |
| Cancelling a phone contract | Handyvertrag kündigen: Fristen und Sonderkündigung für Studierende |
| Prepaid or contract for a phone | Prepaid oder Vertrag fürs Handy: Was sich für Studierende lohnt (in German) |
| Price increase at a streaming service | Preiserhöhung beim Streamingdienst: Wann sie unwirksam sein kann |
| Digital signature in a contract | Digitale Unterschrift im Vertrag: Wann eine E-Mail oder App genügt (in German) |
| Right to repair (in the legislative process) | Recht auf Reparatur: Was die EU-Vorgabe für Geräte konkret bringt |
Data protection: access, erasure and protection in daily life
The GDPR is the main framework for your data. A provider must give you access, erase data when the conditions are met, and report data breaches to the supervisory authority (Art. 33 GDPR). The guides below cover the individual steps.
- Right to Erasure: How to Have Your Data Removed from Online Services
- Schadensersatz nach Datenschutzverstoß: Wann du Geld bekommen kannst (in German)
- Datenschutzbeschwerde einreichen: Ablauf bei der Aufsichtsbehörde (in German)
- Data breach at a service: what you should do now
- Cloud-Speicher und Datenschutz: Wo Studierende ihre Daten sicher ablegen (in German)
- Sprachaufnahmen löschen: So gehst du mit Sprachassistenten-Daten um (in German)
- App-Berechtigungen prüfen: Welche Zugriffe eine App wirklich braucht (in German)
- Fitness Trackers and Health Data: Who May Store the Values
- Online-Prüfung mit Webcam: Was der Datenschutz erlaubt (in German)
- May Landlords or Employers Copy Your ID Card?
- Cookie banners: which cookies you may refuse and why
- Konto endgültig löschen: So entfernst du Social-Media-Profile
- Set Up Two-Factor Authentication: Step by Step
Photos, music and copyright at university
| Question | Guide |
|---|---|
| May I post photos of other people? | Recht am eigenen Bild: When You May Post Photos of Other People |
| Warning letter over other people’s photos | Abmahnung wegen fremder Fotos: Was du jetzt tun kannst (in German) |
| Music in a social media video | Music in social media videos: what copyright allows |
| Sharing scripts and slides | Sharing lecture slides and scripts: what copyright allows in study |
| Using textbook illustrations in a presentation | Abbildungen aus Fachbüchern im Referat verwenden: Was erlaubt ist (in German) |
| Using Creative Commons images correctly | Creative Commons: using and crediting images correctly |
| Keeping streamed recordings | Privatkopie: Dürfen Streaming-Mitschnitte gespeichert werden? (in German) |
| Publishing a thesis | Abschlussarbeit veröffentlichen: Wem die Rechte an deiner Arbeit gehören (in German) |
| Warning letter over file sharing | Abmahnung wegen Filesharing: Was Studierende jetzt tun sollten |
| Reporting an insult online | Reporting an online insult: deadline, evidence and complaint |
Artificial intelligence, platforms and advertising
For AI topics, check the rules of your university and your examination regulations, do not enter personal or unpublished research data into AI services, and always check AI output yourself.
- KI-Verbote in der EU: Welche Anwendungen seit Februar 2025 untersagt sind (in German)
- KI-Bilder erkennen: Welche Kennzeichnungen es gibt und was sie taugen
- Influencer-Werbung kennzeichnen: Gilt das auch bei kleiner Reichweite (in German)
- Lootboxen und In-Game-Käufe: Was Spieler rechtlich wissen sollten (in German)
- Making Deepfakes Punishable: What the Draft Law Against Digital Violence Plans
Frequently asked questions
May I post photos of other people?
Pictures in which people can be recognised generally need their consent or another legal basis (§ 22 KUG, German Art Copyright Act). Our guide on the right to your own image covers the exceptions. Photos from group chats or parties are not automatically free to use.
Can I demand that a provider deletes my data?
Yes, if the conditions of Art. 17 GDPR are met, for example when the data is no longer needed for its purpose or consent has been withdrawn. The provider must respond to you within one month (Art. 12 para. 3 GDPR).
How long may a provider take to answer a request for access?
Usually one month. In complex cases or where there are many requests, the deadline can be extended by two further months, but the provider must inform you of the extension. The rule is in Art. 12 para. 3 GDPR.
May I use music in my video?
Not without further checks. Even freely available music can come with its own terms of use, for example an obligation to credit the artist. Our guide on music in social media videos shows the limits.
Does copyright also apply to lecture scripts?
Lecture materials are generally protected by copyright. How far you may pass them on depends on purpose and scope. Our guide on scripts and slides describes the limits.
What to do now
- Get an overview of the services you use and check privacy settings and app permissions for each account.
- Make requests for access or erasure in writing and note the date. The response period starts with your request.
- Document cancellations and price increases with the date, contract number and correspondence before deadlines pass.
- If something goes wrong, a complaint to the data protection authority can help. Insults have their own deadlines for a criminal complaint.
- Check the origin and licence of pictures, music and scripts before you publish or share them.
Related guides
All guides on digital rights in everyday life, grouped by subtopic:
Contracts and cancellation
- Preiserhöhung im Handyvertrag: Wann du ohne Frist kündigen darfst
- Handyvertrag kündigen: Fristen und Sonderkündigung für Studierende
- Preiserhöhung beim Streamingdienst: Wann sie unwirksam sein kann
- Recht auf Reparatur: Was die EU-Vorgabe für Geräte konkret bringt
- Digitale Unterschrift im Vertrag: Wann eine E-Mail oder App genügt (in German)
- Prepaid oder Vertrag fürs Handy: Was sich für Studierende lohnt (in German)
Data protection and data
- Right to Erasure: How to Have Your Data Removed from Online Services
- Data breach at a service: what you should do now
- Cookie banners: which cookies you may refuse and why
- Konto endgültig löschen: So entfernst du Social-Media-Profile
- Set Up Two-Factor Authentication: Step by Step
- May Landlords or Employers Copy Your ID Card?
- Schadensersatz nach Datenschutzverstoß: Wann du Geld bekommen kannst (in German)
- App-Berechtigungen prüfen: Welche Zugriffe eine App wirklich braucht (in German)
- Cloud-Speicher und Datenschutz: Wo Studierende ihre Daten sicher ablegen (in German)
- Sprachaufnahmen löschen: So gehst du mit Sprachassistenten-Daten um (in German)
- Datenschutzbeschwerde einreichen: Ablauf bei der Aufsichtsbehörde (in German)
- Online-Prüfung mit Webcam: Was der Datenschutz erlaubt (in German)
- Fitness Trackers and Health Data: Who May Store the Values
Pictures and personal rights
- Recht am eigenen Bild: When You May Post Photos of Other People
- Reporting an online insult: deadline, evidence and complaint
- Abmahnung wegen fremder Fotos: Was du jetzt tun kannst (in German)
Copyright at university and online
- Abmahnung wegen Filesharing: Was Studierende jetzt tun sollten
- Sharing lecture slides and scripts: what copyright allows in study
- Creative Commons: using and crediting images correctly
- Music in social media videos: what copyright allows
- Privatkopie: Dürfen Streaming-Mitschnitte gespeichert werden? (in German)
- Abbildungen aus Fachbüchern im Referat verwenden: Was erlaubt ist (in German)
- Abschlussarbeit veröffentlichen: Wem die Rechte an deiner Arbeit gehören (in German)
AI, platforms and advertising
- Making Deepfakes Punishable: What the Draft Law Against Digital Violence Plans
- KI-Bilder erkennen: Welche Kennzeichnungen es gibt und was sie taugen
- KI-Verbote in der EU: Welche Anwendungen seit Februar 2025 untersagt sind (in German)
- Influencer-Werbung kennzeichnen: Gilt das auch bei kleiner Reichweite (in German)
- Lootboxen und In-Game-Käufe: Was Spieler rechtlich wissen sollten (in German)
Sources: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), EUR-Lex, as of November 2026, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (AI Act), EUR-Lex, as of November 2026, German Copyright Act (UrhG), gesetze-im-internet.de, as of November 2026.
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
